Life in a Nutshell

A Lesson From A Bird

/ markmkane / 2 Comments

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Wake up with a smile

it’ll brighten your day, 

the more bigger the smile

the happier you’ll stay

This little phrase

is something I would normally tell

but early one morning

a new thought rang a bell

I woke up one day

with the early morning light

and saw a little bird singing –

it was a most beautiful sight

This bird outside my window

was most happy and carefree,

it whistled and it chirped

as loud as can be

This little bird

gave a new meaning to my life –

“Let happiness rule your day

not your worries, not your strife”

As I continued to watch,

the bird left without a trace

leaving me with a memory

and a message in its place

So I ventured into the day

with a smile and good cheer

reassuring myself

that the bird of happiness is near

I did my best throughout the day

to spread happiness around,

this new trait of the little bird

in me now is found.

The Countdown

/ markmkane / 3 Comments

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The holiday season is well underway and a lot of kids are eagerly counting down the days till Christmas.  That age of innocence is clearly apparent and I often reminisce about my own experience.  But alas, we all get older and sometimes our focus tends to gravitate toward age appropriate matters.

My kids, who are now young teenagers, reminded me of this.  Yes, of course, they still look forward to Christmas but the enthusiasm is not as vibrant as it was when they were in their single digit age.

The main thing that concerns them the most is when does Christmas vacation start and how long it will be.  They can’t wait to take a break from all that studying and let loose…or for others, just chill and do nothing.  Granted, we all hated going to school and valued those precious times away from academia.

I recalled the time when I was their exact age and fully  remembered what I was doing leading up to the start of winter recess.  Counting down the days, hours, minutes and seconds;  time ironically moves extremely slow when we’re young and somehow speeds up the older we get.  Go figure that.a8

As I was thinking about this, a short poem came to mind that kind of summed up how I felt at my children’s age and I’d like to share it.

Here I am at school today

feeling down and oh so blue

I dream of being hard at play

in the hopes it will come true

Running, skating, playing ball

is what I’d like to do

but here I am thinking – that’s all

just stuck here right at school

To dream, to dream, only to dream

waiting for school to end soon

“My God! My watch! Oh gads I’ll scream!

I can’t believe it’s only noon!!!”

 

 

 

A Time of Thanks

/ markmkane / 4 Comments

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Every time this year, like most people, I always take stock in what I’m grateful for…my family, my friends, my health, my life, so on and so forth.  But this year, with the passing of two co-workers and a couple of family members and a health scare, I am truly appreciative for what I have.

 Every day leading up to Thanksgiving, I’ve been taking stock in what I have and the people who are around me and have never been more cognizant and content with my place in life.  There are just days when I can’t help but stop myself in my tracks and smile.

 On days like this I always think “Nothing could be more perfect in my life right now.  If I could just somehow stop time and live in this moment forever, I’d be totally ecstatic.”  A sense of overwhelming joy consumes me and thank God for giving me this occasion to feel this way.thanks4

 When I was younger, I often took for granted a lot of things in my life and somehow lost sight of what it really meant to be thankful for what I had around me.  It was all about “me” and the mere fact that I had many more years ahead just made me concentrate on what might be instead of what might come to pass.thanks1

 But if I hadn’t had all those missed opportunities, mistakes and regrets then I wouldn’t come to the self-realization of how lucky I am in life. Like that saying goes, “With age, comes wisdom.”  And I learned that I needed to enjoy the here and now, accept where I am in life and recognize the people around me that where steadfast in everything I did.

Because of my newfound outlook on life, I preach to my children everyday on acknowledging what they have, to try and not be cavalier on thinking that you have all the time in the world.  Time is a commodity that needs to be relished with respect and without regrets.

A Tribute to Harold

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Although my friend has long passed, for some reason I was thinking about him today and wished that my children could’ve met him.  I wrote a poem about him that best describes what he meant to me.

We were young and so new

when we started work at the store,

learning the business fast

was really a chore

We were clumsy, awkward,

and a little bit naive,

but you put your faith in us

and made us believe

In time we grew smart

with each passing day,

you lent us your wisdom

through the stories you say

In you we saw a role model

with all the qualities of the heart,

you were generous, kind, humorous, helpful

to all of us from the start

Though you left us way too early

your traits in us were sown

Let one message come to mind

and let it be known

We wish you the best in Heaven

in whatever you do,

We give you our love

and will surely miss you

So here is our gift,

so special, so true,

It symbolizes our love

to a friend we found in you.

What Is Love?

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Some write songs

of love old and new,

others write books

of love so grand and true

But songs and books cannot describe

the real true meaning of love,

a love that comes from inside

From within the heart

a certain feeling grows,

it cannot be hid

for through your action it shows

It’s seen in the eyes 

of both the young and old

It’s shown through their smile

that’s pure and gold

If everyone had one wish

they’d probably say,

“Love stay with me forever,

never go away.”

 

Our “Special” Gift

/ markmkane / 9 Comments

I always marvel at the fact that we, as writers, can conjure up practically anything we desire with our writing.  We come up with the most creative stories, the most enticing screenplays, the most eloquent poetry and the most humorous prose.

 No two stories, poems, blog posts or screenplays are alike.  Yes they may have the same idea or premise but the way it is executed on page and presented to the reader is very individualistic.  Our inner voice comes through our choice of words and how we arrange them and the reader is fortunate to choose which voice he or she best relates to.aa8

 We really have a gift if you think about it and we choose to share it with others in hopes of educating them, inspiring them, entertaining them and even provoking critical thought among them.  Our passion has no bounds.

 The world, our experiences, our family, our friends and random conversation overheard is our muse.  We get a spark and it gestates in our subconscious mind until it is ready to flow freely onto our computer screens.

AND some of the stuff that we come up with is totally mind-boggling.  As writers, we choose to ignore the plausible and go with what our inner voice is screaming at us to write.  Just imagine if we put limitations on ourselves and our creativity, you know how boring our concepts would be.

 Every day I thank God that I’m able to write something that at least someone, somewhere would enjoy reading.  I might not be the most creative, eloquent or concise writer but I write how I feel and that’s all that truly matters; I think that this is the common thread that is prevalent among all of my fellow peers.

 Writing is our craft, our voice…and our desire to share it with the world regardless of the outcome is admirable don’t you think. aa4

 When I started as a writer, I came across a poem that really spoke to me.  Unfortunately it was written anonymously and I lost my only copy of it.  But I remembered a portion from that particular poem that I took to heart and I want to share it with all of my fellow writing colleagues – all you screenwriters, poets, bloggers, story tellers:

 “Writing is a gift

given to few,

Don’t ever give it up

or you won’t be you”

How Time Flies

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Today as I am writing this blog, I am in complete shock at the fact that my daughter is turning 16 years old today (AND also at the fact that I’m someone’s dad).  I truly cannot believe that my first born child is slowly growing into a young woman.  This is the very child whom I cradled in my arms in the wee morning hours trying to get her to sleep. 

Yes I know that it’s inevitable, but I’m amazed at how time flew by.  It’s as if I’m in a water tube slide and the laws of physics temporarily sped up; all the events that I shared with my daughter were merely subconscious flashbacks appearing before my eyes as I descended to the bottom. 

 “WOW!!!” is all I can say.  To see this strong, intelligent and ambitious girl attaining goals and dreams that I would never dare to do is completely mind-boggling…maybe I’m awed at that fact that I share DNA genes with her.  Every day I am surprised at what she is capable of doing and am truly proud.

 I guess the whole point of this post is just me reflecting on the past and how I relish my experiences as a parent with my children.  I’m not the best parent in the world but I’m definitely not the worst by any means.  I’ve made a lot of mistakes along the way and grew as a person, but I feel like I did an okay job.

 I look forward toward the future and am anxiously awaiting for my daughter and son to astonish me, whether it be something big or something small.  It is because of them that I am inspired to do things and explore things that will surprise them as well.  Hopefully along the way I can slow down time and defy the laws of physics to savor every moment.

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All That You Are

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Are you the answer to my question?

Could it be you my love?

It makes me crazy wondering

if it’s you that’s my true love?

You give so much of yourself

to remind me that love is near

To search the feeling within my heart

will make it crystal clear

You’re the person, my answer,

my one and only love

You’re a gift sent special to me

straight from heaven above

To find an answer to true love

I needn’t go to far

For your heart reflects true love within and…

All that you are

Your sweet, caring smile

your warm and honest face

the caress of your loving hands

your soft and gentle embrace

You opened up my eyes

and turned my life around

You made me see true beauty,

showed me new joys abound

All because of you-

my dreams are close at hand,

my life is much more clearer,

my love is oh so grand

The warmth and kindness that you gave,

the strength you instilled in me,

your heart and soul is with me now-

with you I’ll always be

I’ve never known anyone

who could do these things to me,

You’ve shown me what love’s all about

you’ve taught the blind to see

The reflection in your eyes show me

that together, our love will go far,

for love reflects true beauty and…

All that you are

You’re a gift that’s truly priceless,

an angel from above

a heart filled with true beauty,

with an endless supply of love

All that you are,

all because of you,

my love has found a special place

my dearest, I love you.

A Writing Dry Spell

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Did you ever have those times when you had a dry spell with your writing?  Whether it be for your blog, script, story, essay, correspondence letter or note to a friend, your mind’s well was empty.  No topics are in play, no words come to mind, things just don’t flow freely from pen to paper so to speak.

It’s like you struggle just to get a cohesive sentence together; every brain cell is squeezed to spew out the words needed to bring forth a sentence.  AND the kicker is that it’s really not what you want to convey.  You just put something down for the sake of having something substantial to work from.dry1

All of us as writers hit this dry spell throughout our careers, it’s inevitable and just plain sucks.  During these times I just don’t feel like a writer and I truly feel as if I failed.  Don’t know why, but I just do.

 “Why does this have to happen?!”   

Our minds are capable of doing and creating so much more…so why is it that our minds fail us?  Is it just a way of our brain telling us that it’s going on a short vacation so we can’t write until it gets back?

What do we do in the meantime?  How do we continue on with our craft if our mind isn’t cooperating?  Not writing anything makes me feel empty and having to endure this drought is challenging.  Often during times like these is when I start to worry…has my mind’s well of creativity gone dry?  Will I ever come up with another idea or story ever again? dry9

So many questions with no immediate answers.  My confidence gets put through the ringer and then some.  But luckily for me, I’ve been through this rodeo and I know that I just need to ride out the storm.

My mind eventually regains its composure and my creativity resets itself.  My brain becomes cognizant of all the new ideas and stories and starts to file them in my intellectual storage file; the amount of information is so overwhelming that I’m faced with another dilemma…which story to work on first, too little time to get all this stuff out and words constantly oozing out just begging to be put on page. 

Guess that’s a better situation to be in than a writing dry spell but either way I’ll gladly endure both as long as my passion for writing remains constant.

The Reason

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All my life, I’ve lived so alone

searched and failed each time,

so many hearts drifting alone

not one to call my own

The feeling of love was all but a dream

seen in the eyes of others,

hearts that will share, eyes that show care

as only between two lovers

Since you walked into my life

my faith has grown so strong

my view of love is much clearer now

with you is where I belong

You’re the reason how my life is lived

and this I know is true

There can only be one love for me

cause love was found in you

You taught me things in life

and I have learned to give –

to loneliness I bid sweet adieu

The love that has filled me body and soul

is all because of you

You’re the reason – my heart I give

my love’s now alive and free

For you are my one and only love,

you are the one just for me.